Trade-deadline primer: New York Rangers

Most contenders wouldn’t want to necessarily subtract from their current roster, but it’s an option that New York may need to consider with backup goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. The 26-year-old has made it known that he’d like to play more, but with Igor Shesterkin in the fold, that’s not going to happen barring injury. The pending restricted free agent carries a $2.425 million cap hit and is owed a qualifying offer of $2.65 million, one that might be a bit too pricey for them for next season. There are some teams that would likely want to get a longer look at Georgiev to see if he could be a longer-term option, although the Rangers would be wise to get another goaltender if they opted to move Georgiev now with veteran Keith Kinkaid serving as their third-string option.

Things have not gone well for winger Vitali Kravtsov in his time with the Rangers. The 22-year-old didn’t make the team out of training camp, went back to the KHL, and it’s clear a change of scenery would be beneficial. However, considering he was the ninth overall selection in 2019, his draft status may carry some weight and be appealing to a team looking for a prospect who's a little more developed over a draft pick. He’s a restricted free agent this summer, but it’s hard to see him commanding a big raise on his $925,000 average annual value since he has only 22 games under his belt.

Young defensemen are always desirable commodities to rebuilding teams, and New York has one on its roster in Libor Hajek who is struggling to get into the lineup. He has played in just 14 NHL games this season plus five more on a conditioning assignment but is only a year removed from playing in nearly 80% of their games last season. He signed for his qualifying offer last summer for just over $874,000 and the lack of playing time doesn’t give him a case for much of a raise. With youngster Braden Schneider starting to establish himself, the path to playing time is even steeper now for Hajek and he seems like a logical player who could be added into a trade.

The three-year, $7.5 million deal given to blueliner Patrik Nemeth raised some eyebrows, and he has had a limited role on the third pairing so far without doing a whole lot. If Drury looks to bring someone in with term left on his contract, Nemeth is the type of player they could try to use as a salary offset.

Other potential trade chips: F Morgan Barron ($925,000 through 2022-23), F Austin Rueschoff ($842,000, RFA), F Evan Vierling (unsigned prospect)

Team needs

1) Forward Depth: Injuries have thinned out the Rangers' forward depth at times this season and has left their bottom six group a little weaker than they’d like. Replacing Sammy Blais’ grit is one area they’d likely want to add, but bringing in a two-way player who can score a bit and kill penalties is another element that would certainly be beneficial for them to add.

2) Top-Four Defender: Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba are proven top-four pieces but after that, New York’s back end primarily consists of younger players or depth veterans such as Nemeth or Jarred Tinordi. A veteran who can allow them to take a bit of pressure off their younger players would help with an emphasis on being able to play a key defensive role.

3) Long-Term Center: Mika Zibanejad has his extension for next season so he’ll be in place for the long haul. But Ryan Strome’s fate remains in question, and Filip Chytil likely isn’t ready to step onto the second line if Strome doesn’t re-sign. If there’s a way to get a long-term second pivot, that would be a nice pickup for Drury even if it means that Strome winds up moving on.